The thermal volatilisation of caesium-137, polonium-210 and lead-210 from in vivo labelled samples

Abstract

Thermal losses of polonium-210 and lead-210 from caribou bone and of caesium-137 and polonium-210 from reindeer muscle have been measured in the temperature range 100° to 1000° C. Polonium is partly volatilised at all temperatures above 100° C, although from bone, the loss was small below 200° C. Negligible amounts of lead-210 are lost from bone samples heated below 600° C, but losses from muscle were observed to occur above 150° C. To avoid losses of caesium-137, muscle samples should not be heated above 300° C.